? Anyone have experience with cat nail infection?

[J.J. and Phoebe Squeak]

Hi,
Hope everyone is well and staying safe.
Phoebe Squeak chose a bad time to have a nail problem.
She kept raising her right front paw and licking it like crazy. I took a look and found gunk (medical term) on her nails -- both light and dark colored. I scraped some away away but her paw is still bothering her. I think it's either a fungal infection or a bacterial infection.
Anyone know how to tell?
Even though I'm in NYC, I plan to take her to the doctor if I can't find a way to help her on my own. They may need to run a test to figure out what it is.
Thanks for any and all advice.
Wash your paws!

 

[Wendy&Neko]

The shelter I worked at had a cat with nail gunk. The vet ended up culturing some of the gunk. Changing to a novel protein diet helped, as it seemed to be due to food allergies. I remember the first attempt at helping was regular cleaning but I can’t remember what with. Washing paws did not go over well!

 

[J.J. and Phoebe Squeak]

The shelter I worked at had a cat with nail gunk. The vet ended up culturing some of the gunk. Changing to a novel protein diet helped, as it seemed to be due to food allergies. I remember the first attempt at helping was regular cleaning but I can’t remember what with. Washing paws did not go over well!

Thank you so much, Wendy. Yes, Phoebe Squeak would agree with your shelter cat friend about paw washing! I guess the first step is to get the gunk cultured. I appreciate your help.

 

[Tomlin]

I had a Maine Coon years ago with nail bed issues and after soaking them in a special cleaner and no success, we ended up an internist and they figured out she had a autoimmune issue with her skin. Hopefully not the case for you but I wanted to throw it out there just in case!

The vet clinics seem to have figured out really great ways to manage during the pandemic. Many have clients fill out an appointment form from their website, you call when you arrive outside the clinic (most clinics are closed to the public) and a tech comes outside to take the carrier and the appointment form. Typically the the vet or a tech then calls you to discuss the situation. They then call when they are done to go over results, medication recommendations etc and then come out to hand you the pet back. There are some emergency clinics that will usher owners into the building and into a room but it depends on the clinic.

Sending well wishes your way

 

[J.J. and Phoebe Squeak]

I had a Maine Coon years ago with nail bed issues and after soaking them in a special cleaner and no success, we ended up an internist and they figured out she had a autoimmune issue with her skin. Hopefully not the case for you but I wanted to throw it out there just in case!

The vet clinics seem to have figured out really great ways to manage during the pandemic. Many have clients fill out an appointment form from their website, you call when you arrive outside the clinic (most clinics are closed to the public) and a tech comes outside to take the carrier and the appointment form. Typically the the vet or a tech then calls you to discuss the situation. They then call when they are done to go over results, medication recommendations etc and then come out to hand you the pet back. There are some emergency clinics that will usher owners into the building and into a room but it depends on the clinic.

Sending well wishes your way

Thank you so much, Amy. You are right about the animal hospitals finding ways to keep everyone safe. I appreciate you weighing in. And I agree with you, I too hope it's not an autoimmune issue. Thanks for the well wishes!